Three strands of culture thrived in the North East of England through the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries ? rowing as professional sport, innovative design of racing boats, and music hall songs to honour the oarsmen's prowess. . Bonnie Brave Boat Rowers sets out to recapture the lost world of the prestigious Christmas Handicap through the bridges of Newcastle; to relive the immense following for the north-south rivalry in pursuit of world titles; to celebrate innovators whose revolutionary designs spread wherever boats were raced; and to echo the minstrels who immortalised sporting champions in song in the music halls of Newcastle, Gateshead and the industrial North East.